S/O breastfeeding, culture differences

[laurack]

Having just come back from a 2+ week trip to Ireland I was just thinking about the culture differences when it comes to breastfeeding. Here it seemed that most people breastfeed or at least try (or at least want to), and you are sort of judged for not breastfeeding. I know it sounds terrible but it's true isn't it? Lactation consultants coming by your room, other moms first questions being breastfeeding related and a sort of silent judgement from many if you say you arent? At least that's the impression I got having had only one baby here in the USA.

however in Ireland it is the opposite. Hardly anyone breastfeeds. It's considered a bit strange if you do. Breastfeeding my 8 month old in public I felt like a bit of a freak show. Even talking to an old friend of mine, who did breastfeed and was very pro-breastfeeding (for an irish person), she asked how long I did it and was visibly taken aback when I said I still do.

I was reading an article about how most irish women just feel really uncomfortable about breastfeeding and choose not to. Something like, at 6 weeks only 10 percent of the women studied were breastfeeding.

Anyway I was wondering, are there other countries besides Ireland where this is the case?! Those who live in other european countries, what is the culture like in regards breastfeeding? And what do you think it is that makes the culture so anti-breastfeeding and here in the us, so pro-breastfeeding?

Sorry for long post, just saw in Trudys post that so many still EBF at this point and was taken aback since so few in Ireland do.

[laurack]

I didn't look at the price of formula, but I did notice that they had all this formula that was for "extra hungry babies" which I thought was odd. Does that exist here? If a baby was "extra hungry" wouldn't they just drink more formula?!

[bebeetmoi]

I've never lived abroad, though I've traveled around it quite a bit, so I can't speak from that POV. Though I will say, I agree with you about Irish mothers and BFing. I'm 1/2 Irish, 1/2 Greek. All the women on my father's side (the Irish side) gave me slack initially for BFing. They always were making comments that it wasn't substantial enough and created bad habits in the baby. My mother's side on the other hand (the Greeks) all BF. No one so much as bats an eye when any of my cousins or aunts whip out a boob and feed their LOs. So growing up, it was just natural and I always knew I would BF my baby.
My DH's family is Sicilian and DD is the first baby on their side since formula came around to be BF. With the exception of my DHs grandfather, who had a wet nurse. Crazy! Though they don't give me flack for BFing DD, I never feel comfortable talking about or doing it in the open, and always seek a private room to feed DD when we are with them.

[laurack]

My mom had seven of us and she never breastfed any nor tried to. She said it never crossed her mind! She thinks its great that I do, but I could tell that the idea of having a baby sucking on her boobies was quite horrifying to her. And her mother didn't breastfeed them either. She said, pre formula, her mother would just boil cows milk and skim the fat off then add some vitamin drops to the milk and voila - baby milk.

I felt very weird breastfeeding in public and even at home I would feel a slight pang of "oh no" when it was time depending on how many male family members were around at the time. In fact for a while during my trip I began to think that I myself was getting tired of breastfeeding and maybe she WAS getting a bit old after all! Brainwashing! ha!

[Deleted]

Is this why there are "Irish twins" - the moms don't BF so they regain fertility faster thus creating the term?

I never realized that Irish women didn't BF as much. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago - lots of Irish families there - many of them had 4+ kids very close in age - maybe not BFing contributes to that - or the opposite - they want more kids fast, so they don't BF.

interesting.

My family is mostly Eastern European and as far as I know BFing is normal/expected. My mom only FF me after she had to start heavy painkillers for back surgery when I was 3mo.
Who knows - I could have had 2u1 if I wasn't paying attention b/c I got AF back fast after both babies even though I do BF.

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Interesting! Germans seriously don't bat an eye when it comes to breastfeeding.

And: I miss me Euro Lucky Charms.

Sent from the future.

[laurack]

I don't think its so much that they WANT to concieve sooner, but it probably does happen more due to not breastfeeding!! I know breastfeeding isn't birth control but it must be to a degree, I haven't had a single PP period so my ladybits must not be working normally (I am a.ok with this lol)

My mother has irish twins (oldest two), they are 11 months apart. She said she was young and naive and didn't make that mistake again! haha.

[laurack]

Jan 2, 2013 10:23:38 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Interesting! Germans seriously don't bat an eye when it comes to breastfeeding.

And: I miss me Euro Lucky Charms.

Sent from the future.

I bet most euro countries are like this. Ireland is this strange little place where the girls dress like hookers when they go to the pub, carseats face foward from such a young age, no child seems to eat proper food or like anything besides french fries, all children eat an enormous amount of candy. Every child you see has a pacifier. EVERY CHILD. And to an old age, my sister just got rid of her 4 year olds and the 2 year has it in her mouth about 95% of the time.

And my sister said that in Ireland you can give you baby a blanket from newborn, she thought it was odd I felt worried about giving matilda a blanket. I had to, they keep their houses so cold at night!

[laurack]

I noticed that a lot of women would be in town during the day, just shopping, and they would be CAKED in makeup! It looks weird and not attractive to have so much makeup on? looks like a strange mask. Also lots of people walk around in these crazy platform shoes that have like, 5+ inches heel. I don't get it! They look like torture devices! When they have 4 inch heels on they say things like "these are so comfortable because of the small heel"

[AndyCohen]

I don't know if this speaks for French people or just my MIL, but she is French and lives in France and asked me how long I plan to breast feed. I said "I'm not quite sure, at least a year" and she was all "A YEAR?!? Hmmm..."

[mamasaurus]

Hmm. In England (granted I only visited) it seemed like BFing in public was really normal. I asked to use a fitting room in a shop, and they said, "It's small in there. Use the sofa right in the middle of the store!"

Maybe the Irish don't BF to piss off the British.

[nilex0102]

Jan 2, 2013 10:23:38 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Interesting! Germans seriously don't bat an eye when it comes to breastfeeding.

True - when we were visiting my friend just NIPed right as we were having dinner, not much of a cover either.

I am curious about your experiences though because all of my friends nursed their babies but then weaned early (before 6 months) for various reasons like going back to work (self employed) and also because the baby needed more than just the "light" milk to eat. Most all introduced solids before six months as well.
So really me nursing DS until 16 months and still nursing the baby is somewhat of a rarity for them.

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Jan 2, 2013 14:47:51 GMT -5 nilex0102 said:

Jan 2, 2013 10:23:38 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Interesting! Germans seriously don't bat an eye when it comes to breastfeeding.

True - when we were visiting my friend just NIPed right as we were having dinner, not much of a cover either.

I am curious about your experiences though because all of my friends nursed their babies but then weaned early (before 6 months) for various reasons like going back to work (self employed) and also because the baby needed more than just the "light" milk to eat. Most all introduced solids before six months as well.
So really me nursing DS until 16 months and still nursing the baby is somewhat of a rarity for them.

It varied in my circle of friends. I think the earliest weaners (heh heh) were at 9 months. A lot went at least one year; I nursed for two years, but I don't think anyone thought I was weird .... or they at least didn't say anything.

But now that I live "in the country" it could very well happen that I get the German side-eye for nursing Butterbaby for as long as he wants.
Sent from the future.

[laurack]

you said weaners

[Deleted]

That's really interesting, I would have thought Ireland was like England and the rest of Europe with the Bfing.. I thought it was all very common there.

Here it's highly encouraged. Most of my friends have BFed to a year, some more. The government is very supportive, hospitals/midwives encourage it (to a fault) and there are places set up to BF everywhere. Or else, just in public and no one bats an eye. I don't NIP much but when I do I don't use a cover and it's NBD.

But I do have a couple friends who formula feed, though they tried BFing and it didn't work due to low supply. I don't know anyone who went right to formula without trying BF first. I was leery of BFing myself, when I was Pg with DS1, but there was a lot of support so I'm glad I stuck with it.